Diagnostic Performance of the Rapid Antigen Test as a Screening Tool for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Emergency Department

The rapid antigen test (RAT) has been adopted as a screening tool for SARS-CoV-2 infection in many emergency departments (EDs). We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of the accuracy of the SARS-CoV-2 RAT as a screening tool in the ED. This retrospective observational study included patients who underwent both RAT and RT-PCR and visited the ED from 1 December 2021 to 15 March 2022. RAT and RT-PCR were performed by appropriately trained physicians. We performed detailed analyses using the E gene cyclic threshold (Ct) values of RT-PCR. Out of a total of 1875 patients, 348 (18.6%) had positive and 1527 (81.4%) had negative RT-PCR results. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the RAT were 67.8%, 99.9%, 99.6%, and 93.2%, respectively. The E gene Ct value was significantly lower in the RAT-positive patients than in the RAT-negative patients (18.5 vs. 25.3, p < 0.001). When the E gene Ct cutoff was 30.0, 25.0, 20.0, and 15.0, the sensitivity of the RAT was 71.9%, 80.3%, 93.0%, and 97.8%, respectively. The sensitivity of the RAT could be considered high in patients with a high viral load, and the RAT could be used as a screening tool in the ED.